A 54-year-old father on trial for allegedly killing a teenage girl in a horror boat crash has stunned the court with an emotional outburst.
A Florida real estate developer on trial for a boat crash that killed a teenage girl broke down uncontrollably in court — forcing the judge to send the jury home and berate the defendant.
George Pino, 54, was seen bursting into tears, shaking, and sobbing just over an hour into his murder trial for the death of 17-year-old Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez on Monday, as reported by Local 10 News.
The outburst during opening statements forced Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez to dismiss the jury for the day.
“Mr. Pino’s going to need to be able to control himself,” the judge said, agreeing with prosecutor Laura Adams, who branded the behaviour “inappropriate” for the courtroom.
“It’s not proper at all for the jury to be witnessing the emotional behaviours,” Tinkler Mendez added.
Florida property mogul George Pino had to excuse himself from court after breaking down during his trial for a fatal boat crash.
Pino appeared to become emotional almost immediately during Adams’ opening statement, before openly bursting into tears during defence lawyer Howard Srebnick’s statement.
He stepped out to compose himself, while Srebnick said he was concerned for his client’s health.
“I don’t think he’s well,” Srebnick said, as reported by the Miami Herald.
Pino was checked out by Miami Fire Rescue crews on hand before the judge agreed to dismiss the jury for the day.
The well-known real estate broker in Doral is facing second-degree manslaughter and vessel homicide charges over his alleged involvement in a 2022 boating crash that killed Fernandez and left Katerina Puig, who was then 18, with permanent and debilitating injuries.
Pino and his wife, Cecilia, were hosting several teen girls for their daughter Carolina’s 18th birthday on their 8.8 metre boat when they crashed in Biscayne Bay, Florida, on September 4, 2022.
The father, who was piloting the vessel back to dock, hit a channel marker at around 80km/h after turning around to check on the passengers, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said.
The force of the crash tore a large hole in the side of the boat and threw all of the passengers into the water.
Eleven people were injured and six were taken to the hospital, where Fernandez later died.
Pino was not tested for sobriety, but when the boat was pulled from the crash site the following day, 61 empty alcohol bottles, including a champagne bottle, were found on it, the Miami Herald reported in July 2025.
He is accused of lying to the police about how the crash occurred and of failing to follow proper boating laws.
“In the aftermath of causing Lucy’s death, this defendant avoided accountability by telling the police a fabrication of how this boating crash occurred, and he maintained that falsehood long after the day of this tragedy,” Adams told the judge.
“The evidence in this case, ladies and gentlemen, will show you this was not a mere accident or a momentary lapse in judgment. The evidence will show that Lucy is dead because the defendant failed to do the most basic things that [the] rules of the water require,” she added.
Pino’s lawyer said his client’s wife will testify that he was not drunk and that the incident was a tragic accident.
“The state admits this was not George’s intention for this to happen. He did not intend to crash into a marker. He did not intend for anybody to be hurt,” Srebnick told the judge.
“His own daughter, his own wife, his own body was on that boat. Mrs. Pino will testify [that] George, her husband, was not impaired. She wouldn’t have risked her own life,” he added.
Opening statements were due to resume Tuesday morning.
This story originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced here with permission.
